Want to buy a house on Beechwood Blvd. Negative aspects only, please!!

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by Hopes

If I were you, I'd move to Costa Rica. Why come back to the states when you can live in Costa Rica's wonderful environment for mere pennies compared to what it costs to live here?

I think a person would have to tread carefully with a Costa Rica decision. A lot of these people selling properties are other Americans/Europeans themselves who already overpaid, and trying to get rid of the property. Once you really examine the properties, they are seldom cheap.

Than there is another language, and other country, and entire other issues to get around. Plus, if people get use to certain American or European things, you'll have to import them into Costa Rica. This can be something as simple as a computer in English or even a walkman (which might cost 4-5 times more in Latin America).

Basically, there are a ton of hidden costs that people don't really see.

[XRiteMA98]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Social Security is actually in decent shape financially. They might raise payroll taxes or decrease benefits slightly, but the chances of it going away entirely are really pretty small.

Well, that's good to know but then why are they talking about it on the radio and news papers if there's already a solution to it?

As for those looking to retire to Costa Rica (or overseas). Do your homework. There are many thousands of expats living abroad as we speak.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by XRiteMA98

Well, that's good to know but then why are they talking about it on the radio and news papers if there's already a solution to it?

That is an excellent question. Some people have an ideological opposition to Social Security, whether it is working or not (in fact for some people, Social Security working may be all the more reason to seek to eliminate it). Other people would stand to make a lot of money if Social Security was privatized in some way. And so on. These people have been somewhat successful in promoting the notion that Social Security is heading for a serious crisis, which serves their goals.

Note that one of their favorite tactics is lumping Social Security in with Medicare. Medicare is undoubtedly putting the federal government on the path to a financial crisis, but that is not so much because of the nature of the program--it is because medical costs are increasing much faster than the general economy, a problem which applies to Medicare but also private insurance as well.

In any event, people will talk about Medicare and Social Security together leading to a financial crisis, but that is really almost entirely on the Medicare side. Again, to the extent there is a problem with Social Security itself at all--and that remains a bit speculative--it is a problem that could easily be fixed with relatively minor tweaks. On the other hand, even minor tweaks can be met with huge political resistance. Accordingly, since the problems, such as they are, are all in the future, even pro-Social Security politicians don't do anything, which provides room for other people to continue to promote the idea it is somehow in crisis.

[XRiteMA98]

Thank you for clarifying these things for me. Medicare's costs could be cut if someone will find a way to eliminate the obesity epidemic, which, in my opinion is not that hard, if we look around (on the planet, Costa Rica included) and see that people are eating more fruits and veggies and less processed food.

But I don't mean to steal the topic. I assume that by now Lauren P understood that that is a very nice area, social security won't run out of money